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FERC member Kevin McIntyre has died

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member Kevin McIntyre has died at 57.

The big picture: McIntyre, a Republican, had stepped aside as chairman of the commission last fall after announcing a "serious health setback." E&E News, which first reported on his passing, notes that McIntyre's brief time heading FERC was nonetheless consequential. He led the unanimous rejection of Energy Secretary Rick Perry's request for sweeping changes in power market rules to benefit coal-fired and nuclear plants, and he launched a review of how FERC vets gas pipeline proposals.

His passing now leaves FERC with a 2-2 split between Republicans and Democrats until a successor is nominated and confirmed by the Senate. That could lead to some policy deadlocks, ClearView Energy Partners said in a note:

"Such partisan divides appear most relevant in the case of Commission approvals for LNG terminals and natural gas pipelines, and potentially on orders that impact the fuel mix of the electric generation sector."

FERC did not provide immediate comment on McIntyre's reported passing.